Universal Celebrates 100th Anniversary with Friends

The unlikely trio of Dracula, Dave the Minion and Doc Brown were on the move in Los Angeles Tuesday afternoon, being escorted from office building to office building in support of Universal Studios’ 100th anniversary on April 30, 2012.

The characters, hailing respectively from the Universal films “Dracula,” “Despicable Me” and “Back to the Future,” came bearing news of the studio’s upcoming celebrations, which includes the restoration of 13 well-known movies, including “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “The Sting” and “Out of Africa” and the introduction of a newly designed logo by Concept Arts. The studio is also planning a slew of social media campaigns, including audience engagement not just on Facebook and Twitter, but also Foursquare, Tumblr and Pinterest.

Separately, the studio also said it was extending its production agreement with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment, which was to expire in 2013, to 2016. The new deal, however, is a first-look deal, rather than an exclusive arrangement.

About Speakeasy

Speakeasy is a blog covering media, entertainment, celebrity and the arts. The publication is produced by Barbara Chai and Jonathan Welsh with contributions from the Wall Street Journal staff and others. Write to us at speakeasy@wsj.com or follow us on Twitter at @WSJSpeakeasy or individually @barbarachai.